Bounty
by Osaru Sensei
Summary: You've heard the story before. But what really happened?
**I'm running out of oneshot ideas, plz halp! D:**

* * *

"The caves aren't far from here, get ready."

The raven-haired cat-Faunus led her three companions through the thick underbrush in the forests of northern Vale, everyone on high alert for their mission. Reports had come in about a nest of Griffons harassing the settlements, and team RWBY had picked the mission as their first as official graduates of Beacon Academy.

"Are you sure?" Blake Belladonna flicked her cat ears in annoyance.

"Weiss, I can hear them all the way over here. They're close. Trust me." Weiss crossed her arms and sighed.

"Oh, I trust you. I didn't mean it like that." She looked away in shame.

"… Guys, focus on the mission will you?" Yang Xiao Long made her voice heard from the very back of the hunting party.

"Yang, you're not team leader – I am. Don't boss them around like that." chuckled the diminutive Ruby Rose behind Blake.

"Ah shaddup, Rubes." Blake motioned for the group to stop as she crept forward.

"There." She pointed to a large system of caves a few hundred metres in front of them.

"Okay, what's the plan Ruby?" No response. Blake turned around towards her team leader, only to be met with empty space where Ruby once stood.

"… Ruby?" Suddenly Blake noticed Weiss staring off into the distance behind Blake, promptly facepalming and pointing in the direction she had been looking in.

Ruby had sprinted off towards the caves, brandishing Crescent Rose high above her head.

"What're we going to do?! She'll get herself _killed!_ "

"Relax Weiss, I and Penny got this. Penny, I'm gonna need some help with acoustic manipulation." Yang stepped up next to Weiss as she put her hands around her mouth.

"Good to go in 3… 2… 1…" Penny counted down from within Yang's prosthetic arm.

As the countdown reached zero, Yang did her best approximation of a beowolf howl. Amplified and distorted by Penny, it was almost a perfect match. In the distance, the red blur that was Ruby suddenly halted and went down on her knees in a sitting foetal position.

"That was cruel." Weiss chided Yang.

"Cruel, but necessary."

"Friend Yang, I appreciate that you did it to save her from getting killed by her own recklessness, but I calculate at least 64 different strategies that would have had the same result - _without_ inflicting mental harm on your sister." The group made their way to their quivering leader, Yang apologising for the deception with a hug. They quickly made up their plan of attack – Ruby and Weiss would lay down long-range cover fire so that Yang and Blake could get up close to thin out the herd enough, then they would regroup and allow Weiss to collect some summoning Griffons. As Yang and Blake broke off, Ruby hefted the scope of Crescent Rose up to her right eye and took aim at the head of the first Griffon.

"Taking the leftmost Griffon on the outcropping in 3… 2… 1…" as the Griffon's head exploded from Ruby's round, it's pack mate standing next to it received a large icicle through the neck. Suddenly the entire herd was in turmoil. Taking that as their cue, Blake and Yang leaped from their cover and unleashed the full barrage at their foes. Yang punched two griffons in their throats so hard that their necks snapped, while Blake was a whirlwind of blades in a group of four griffons that soon fell dead to the ground.

"THAT ALL YOU GOT, YOU WINGED PIECES OF SH-Oof!" a large griffon pinned Yang to the ground just as she had finished off two more. She fired both Ember Celica's at the creature's chest as it raised a clawed paw to strike. _This is it, then. This is how I'll die._

Suddenly the griffon's severed head landed beside her in a flurry of rose petals.

"Get off my sister, you mangy, stupid… _DOODY-HEAD!_ "

As Weiss landed besides Ruby and Yang, she conjured a glyph to push the dissipating remains of the griffon off Yang.

"Protect me. This may take a few moments." Weiss declared as she began setting up her summoning glyphs. Ruby and Yang positioned themselves in front of their teammate, and Blake blended into the shadows of the setting sun. As the first griffon lunged, Ruby swung Crescent Rose from beak to tail and neatly bisected it. Yang slammed home a fresh set of shells and threw punches that set her adversaries ablaze. Taking advantage of the commotion, Blake weaved in and out of the enemy horde's ranks, slashing and stabbing away with impunity, and whenever they retaliated they would only strike her shadow clones. Soon pearly white griffons joined in the battle, emerging from the glyphs of Weiss. One unlucky griffon got pulled to the ground and ripped to shreds by its former mates, while another was held down for Weiss to stab in the neck with Myrtenaster.

After half an hour of combat, their foes had been vanquished. Looking around approvingly, Ruby spoke up.

"Well done team! Now we need to find somewhere to sleep, and get back home to claim the bounty first thing in the morning."

* * *

After having bought a room in the nearest tavern, the girls of RWBY were itching for some sleep. However, Ruby could not find it in her to sleep. She tossed and turned, but the unease she felt wouldn't go away. She reached out to touch her bed mate's shoulder.

"Weiss… Weiss." Weiss's eyes opened in a flash.

"What is it Ruby? I'm trying to…" she covered her mouth as she yawned.

"… Trying to sleep here."

"What if there's no end to it?"

"… What?"

"What if the creatures of Grimm never stop? I'm worried what may lie in our future… In Remnant's future."

"Oh Ruby, sweetie… I worry about that too, but as a wise man once said, 'to make tomorrow a brighter day, one should start with today.'" Ruby smiled at her girlfriends words.

"Thanks Weiss, I feel a lot better now… goodnight."

"Goodnight." Ruby cuddled up to the white-haired girl, and slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

As they returned home in the morning, they were met by cheering crowds congratulating them for a job well done. As they were presented with the sizeable bounty, Ruby turned to Weiss.

"Weiss, I'm appointing you caretaker of this. Put 10% in RWBY's bank account, donate the rest to appropriate charities." Weiss smiled and took the cheque from the city official.

"Got it."

"Now let's go home and wait for our next assignment!" Ruby cheered.

* * *

 **AN: Apparently Granny Rose conveniently "forgot" to include her doing a Leeroy Jenkins manoeuvre in the tale she told her grandkids.**

 **I agree with Weiss and Penny, using Ruby's Beowolf-induced PTSD against her was a low blow, even if it saved her tush.**

 **Ruby, you're like, _19_ now. You're allowed to swear.**

 **I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**


End file.
